KATHMANDU: Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Nepal (MJF-N), Federal Socialist Party Nepal (FSPN) and Khas Samabeshi Rastriya Party (KSRP) on Monday  merged to create the fifth largest party in the Constituent Assembly with 15 seats.

Chairpersons of the three parties — Upendra Yadav of MJF-N, Ashok Rai of FSPN and Yubaraj Karki of KSRP jointly inaugurated the new party — Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal (FSF-N) amid a function here on Monday.

Unification of parties of different origins — FSP-N based on issues of indigenous nationalities and formed by splitting CPN-UML; MJF-N, a regional Madhes-based party; and KSRP, a fringe party based on rights of Khas Chhettri communities of the country — has raised many eyebrows.

Yadav will lead the new force as chairman while Rai will become the party’s parliamentary party leader and remain senior leader of the party and FSP-N general secretary Rajendra Shrestha will support Yadav as co-chairman in the new party.

With creation of the new party, Bijay Kumar Gachhadar-led MJF-Democratic has become the sixth largest party in the CA with 14 seats.

Addressing the inaugural function packed with a large number of leaders and cadres, senior leader of FSF-N Rai said the merger was the outcome of a year of continuous efforts. “We wanted to send a message to Singha Durbar that a unified force for identity and federalism has been created as a strong alternative to the major parties,” Rai said.

Yadav said people used to question how three parties of different backgrounds could form a new party, but they never knew the three chairpersons were good friends who fought together against autocracy in the past.

He said a severe blow of the unified parties of disadvantaged groups would bring a 12 Richter scale earthquake.

Yadav called the 16-point pact of four parties a ploy to end federalism and identity of the people and all the achievements of past movements. He demanded that all decisions on the constitution be made through the sovereign Constituent Assembly.

The new party will have six vice-chairpersons: Yubaraj Karki, Lalbabu Raut, Renu Kumari Yadav, Rakam Chemjong and Hemraj Rai; two general secretaries: Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav and Ranadhoj Kandangwa; two deputy general secretaries: Abhishek Pratap Shah and Dan Bahadur BK; two secretaries: Ratneswor Lal Kayastha and Parshuram Basnet; and a treasurer: Bijaya Kumar Yadav. Mangal Siddhi Manandhar has been appointed chairman of the party’s Central Advisers’ Committee.